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Former VCU police officer pleads guilty to child porn charges

A former Virginia Commonwealth University police sergeant has pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison, according to the Virginia Attorney General's Office.

James Edward Deford Jr., 35, of Chesterfield County entered the plea Tuesday in Chesterfield Circuit Court.

Authorities said Deford was identified through an investigation into the trading of child pornography over peer-to-peer networks on the Internet. An undercover Richmond police officer came in contact with an individual on the Internet who was making computer files containing child pornography available to share with other users, authorities said.

During several online sessions in 2011, the undercover officer downloaded a total of six files containing child pornography directly from Deford, authorities said.

Officers then obtained a search warrant for the defendant's home and seized computer equipment containing files showing prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, authorities said. Further, Deford admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography on his computer, the authorities said. He was arrested in November.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Nelson trial set for December; capital case may be dropped

Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor says she is assessing whether to move forward with a rare capital-murder case involving fetal homicide and may proceed only on a first-degree murder charge carrying a life sentence.

A Henrico judge on Tuesday set aside two weeks in December to try Chesterfield County resident Gregory L. Nelson Jr. in the slashing death of his pregnant girlfriend Susana Cisneros, 24, who was days from delivering the couple's child when her body was discovered by her family behind a West Broad Street restaurant.

Sergio Cisneros, the brother of the victim, said Tuesday that the family has confidence in Taylor and is leaving legal matters to the lawyers. “There has been so much pain already; we want to put this all behind us,” he said.

If convicted, Nelson, now 28, could become the first person in the state sentenced to death under a 2004 statute that creates a capital offense when an expectant mother is killed and her fetus is also willfully targeted and dies.

The fetal homicide statute does not include a lesser offense, such as involuntary or voluntary manslaughter.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Navy compensating those affected by jet crash

Residents who lost their homes after a Navy jet crashed into their apartment complex began picking up government checks Monday to help them pay for food, clothing and housing over the next two weeks as they try to figure out where they'll live.

Dozens of apartment units were destroyed or evacuated Friday when the F/A-18D Hornet hit the Mayfair Mews apartment complex shortly after taking off from nearby Naval Air Station Oceana. Several people were injured, but nobody died when the plane slammed into the apartment complex's empty courtyard.

Navy officials estimate that 63 people living in 46 units were affected by the crash. Initial payments started at $2,300 for individual residents, with more going to those with families.

Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Tulsa residents want death penalty in shootings

Within hours of shootings that terrified Tulsa's north side and left three people dead, leaders of the predominantly black community declared the spree a hate crime and warned of a possible vigilante response.

Quick arrests relieved many residents and ended talk of more violence, but community leaders still want the case treated as a hate crime. “We have to send a message,” one said Tuesday.

But with a first conviction under Oklahoma's hate crimes law carrying only up to a year in jail, some questioned whether it was worth the effort. The family of one victim and some residents said they'd rather see prosecutors focus on getting the death penalty.

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 33, have been held on suspicion of first-degree murder and other charges since their arrest Sunday. They are expected to be formally charged during a Monday court appearance.

While police have not described the shootings as racially motivated, they have said one motive may have been revenge for the fatal shooting of England's father by a black man. A day before the shootings, England apparently wrote a Facebook post saying Thursday was the second anniversary of his father's death, using a racial slur and lamenting that “it's hard not to go off.”

Brief by the Associated Press

2nd-degree murder charge in Trayvon Martin shooting

The neighborhood watch volunteer who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Wednesday after months of mounting tensions and protests across the country.

George Zimmerman, 28, could get up to life in prison if convicted in the slaying of the unarmed black teenager.

Special prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charges but would not discuss how she arrived at them or disclose other details of her investigation, saying: “That's why we try cases in court.”

Second-degree murder is typically brought in cases when there is a fight or other confrontation that results in death and but does involve a premeditated plan to kill.

Corey would not disclose Zimmerman's whereabouts for his safety but said that he will be in court within 24 hours.

Brief by the Associated Press

Bombers kill 16 police, civilians in Afghanistan

Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 16 people on Tuesday as they stepped up their fight against Afghan forces slowly taking the lead from U.S. and international troops.

Attacks this week have included deadly bombings far from the main theaters in the south and east, underscoring that the Taliban and its allies retain the capability to strike over wide areas of the country. The violence comes at a pivotal time for the U.S.-led coalition as it forges ahead with plans to hand over

The Afghan army and police are now in charge of security for areas home to half the nation's population, with coalition forces in a support role. The coalition hopes to keep handing over control until Afghan forces are fully in charge by the end of 2013, with all combat troops scheduled to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.

Brief by the Associated Press

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